1. Field of the Invention
The invention disclosed herein relates to domestic animal feed dishes. More specifically, the invention describes a cat and dog food dish designed for out of doors use with crawling insect inhibiting characteristics to prevent insect contamination of the solid or liquid pet food dispensed and contained in the dish in an out of doors environment where crawling insects such as ants are more likely to be encountered.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A great variety of domestic pet food dishes have been conceived and exist in the prior art, some of which are designed with the specific intent to prevent crawling insects such as ants from attacking and infecting the food held in outside pet food containers for an extended period of time. One such prior art designed as an insect inhibiting pet food container is illustrated in the Kasselman patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,242, which describes a single feed bowl suspended above a moat of water by a pedestal centrally positioned in a lower, concentric bowl. It is conceived that the moat of water disposed in the lower bowl would inhibit if not prevent ants from getting to the food in the upper bowl. The upper bowl is removable and is configured with a lengthy overlapping edge to further inhibit the travel of any ants that might survive the swim across the moat.
Another and similar insect retardant pet food dish is found in the Partelow patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,609, where a feed bowl is likewise removably suspended by a centrally positioned pedestal disposed within a lower bowl of water to provide an insect inhibiting moat. Indeed, a similar extended overhanging edge of the upper bowl is provided to further inhibit travel of ants that survive the swim across the moat. In addition, Partelow suggests an additional ant barrier in the form of a centrally disposed third bowl providing a separate moat within the larger external moat of the lower bowl. The walls of each upper, lower and central bowl are all inclined back over the moat to further inhibit travel of ants up the outside wall, down the inside wall, across the moat, etc.
A more elementally designed insect repelling pet food dish is found in Carpenter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,357,905, where a double bowled pet dish is conceived with the water from a water bowl on one side of the dish is channeled to the solid food side in which is suspended a solid food bowl. In short, the solid food bowl is surrounded by a moat of water sustained by water from the water side of the pet dish. A similar pet food dish is disclosed in the East patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,149, in which a single solid or liquid food receptacle is removably suspended from a movable pedestal disposed within a larger lower bowl filled with water and acting as a moat.
Although each of the above prior art pet food containers function as designed to varying extent, each is burdened with inherent limitations. Kasselman and Partelow both utilize a water moat and suspended food receptacles there above with reverse inclined walls to inhibit travel of crawling insects; however, these devices are fairly complex in design and difficult to assemble and mold manufacture in mass. Carpenter and East, on the other hand, are relatively simple in structure and design and relatively easy to mass mold, but provide only a water moat as a barrier to ant travel. In virtually all moat designed pet dishes, it is observed that ants sooner or later manage to swim or build a bridge across the moat, and invariably manage to find means to attack the pet food.
While the above illustrated devices may be appropriate for their intended purpose and usage at the time, none of the foregoing inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is observed to suggest, anticipate or describe the invention disclosed herein as claimed.
Therefor, there remains a long standing and yet unfulfilled need for a pet food dish for adaptation to out of doors use in such manner that ants and similar insects are effectively excluded from trespassing, and such a bowl that is relatively simple in design for ease in use, assembly, and manufacturer in large numbers. It is urged that water moats surrounding a pet food container alone and even in addition to reverse inclined walls of the moat and food containers will not suffice to eliminate insect infestation of existing pet food containers. The invention disclosed herein suggests yet another new and novel approach to eliminating the limitations of the foregoing described and other related prior art.